RECAP: Sea Dogs lose 9-1

FINAL: Saint John 1, Rimouski 9
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RIMOUSKI, Que. - The Saint John Sea Dogs are going to be really tested over the next couple weeks - and things didn't get off to a good start.

Missing their No. 1 goaltender to injury and four regulars due to the World Under-17 Hockey Challenge, the Sea Dogs began a six-game road trip with a 9-1 loss to the Rimouski Oceanic on Thursday night.

The Sea Dogs have now lost eight straight games and remain winless on the road this season. They've given up nine of more goals in back-to-back games - both of which featured three of their top six defensemen missing from the lineup.

Rimouski's high powered offence was on full display on Thursday with seven different players scoring. Charle-Edouard D'Astous and Alexis Lafreniere led the way with two goals each while singles came from Dmitry Zavgorodniy, Radim Salda, Cedric Pare, Olivier Garneau and Anthony Gagnon. Colten Ellis made 19 stops in the win.

William Poirier scored Saint John's lone goal. Tommy DaSilva was pulled in the first period after allowing four goals on 11 shots. Stewart Bagnell allowed four goals on 20 shots in relief. DaSilva was put back in midway through the third, allowing a goal on 14 shots.

Lafreniere opened the scoring with a power play goal just 3:05 into the match, firing a one-timer into a wide open net. Rimouski continued to pour it on at the midway mark of the first with Zavgorodniy, D'Astous and Salda all scoring within a 2:22 span. That would end the day for DaSilva.

Bagnell was tested right away and made a nice toe stop off of Gagnon. Shots ended 14-9 in favour of Rimouski in the frame.

Saint John got on the board at 1:06 of the second. Poirier carried the puck in and fired an innocent looking backhand shot that fooled Ellis and floated into the top corner, making it a 4-1 game.

Rimouski replied quickly with Pare connecting 1:21 after Poirier's goal. Then at 11:10, Garneau scored on a power play to make it 6-1 Oceanic through 40 minutes.

Lafreniere and Gagnon scored 1:34 apart early in the third to give the Oceanic an 8-1 lead. Following Gagnon's goal at 6:58, DaSilva returned to the Sea Dogs net in place of Bagnell.

Rimouski peppered Saint John with 18 shots in the third period. D'Astous rounded out the scoring with a goal at 9:21. Yohan Plamondon was awarded a penalty shot late in the frame but fired wide.

LINEUP

Here is the projected lineup for tonight's matchup with the Rimouski Oceanic at 830PM. Brought to you by @CantrburyDental #alwayswearyourmouthguard pic.twitter.com/lbQJVgXnrk

— Saint John Sea Dogs (@SJSeaDogs) November 1, 2018

SCRATCHES: The Sea Dogs were without goaltender Alex D'Orio (injured); defensemen Charlie DesRoches (under-17s), William Villeneuve (under-17s) and Jeremie Poirier (under-17s); and forwards Christian Clark (injured), Josh Lawrence (under-17s), Aiden MacIntosh and Kevin Mason.

NOTES: Alex D'Orio is "a little banged up" we are told... the Sea Dogs understandably went with 11 forwards and seven defensemen for this game. The club has called up d-men Patrick Musico from MHL St. Stephen and Nicolas Kakouras from AAA Laval-Montreal... Kakouras, an eighth-round pick of the Sea Dogs in this year's draft, made his QMJHL debut... this was Stewart Bagnell's first QMJHL action of 2018-19. He appeared in two games for Saint John last year... Robbie Burt dropped the gloves with Carson Gallant in the second period after putting a big open ice hit on Alexis Lafreniere... the Oceanic ended a two-game losing streak... unsurprisingly, both former Sea Dogs - Cedric Pare and Radim Salda - scored against their old team. Salda was named second star and Pare third... Yohan Plamondon had his four-game goal scoring streak come to an end... bit of a long game time wise (2:26)... with no English broadcast available, the Oceanic play-by-play guy was nice enough to give regular score updates in English.

NEXT GAME: Saint John's six-game Quebec road trip continues on Saturday with a 5 p.m. matchup against the Drakkar in Baie-Comeau.